1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an opening and closing apparatus for lids pivotably mounted to openings in various box bodies including the lid of the console box of an automobile, and particularly to an opening and closing apparatus for a lid which can be opened and closed from two directions.
2. Related Background Art
As an apparatus for opening and closing the lid of the console box of an automobile from two directions, there has already been proposed one shown, for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 5-338496.
This opening and closing apparatus according to the prior art, although not specifically shown, is of a construction in which for the lid side, a pair of right and left operating buttons operable independently of each other are pressably disposed on the right and left sides thereof and a pair of hinge pins making frequent appearances from the front and rear end surfaces of the lid are connected to the respective operating buttons and in a state in which one of the operating buttons is pressed, a lock shaft having just a length for bearing against the other operating button is provided on the back side of the pair of operating buttons and lock means for blocking the return of the operating buttons resulting from the pressing thereof are individually provided in the recesses of the undersides of the respective operating buttons. Even in this case, as in the conventional case, the pair of right and left operating buttons and the pair of hinge pins present on the respective sides are outwardly biased by the spring pressure of a compression coil spring.
Also, for the box body side, there are individually provided shaft holes for making the tip end portions of the hinge pins on the right and left sides come out and into the front and rear sides of the opening portion edge thereof.
When in the closed state of the lid, the lid is to be pivotally moved in the leftward direction to open the opening portion of the box body, if the operating button on the right side is inwardly pressed against the pressure of the biasing spring thereof, the pair of hinge pins present on the right side comes off the corresponding shaft holes in the box body against the pressure of the biasing spring thereof in operative association with the pressing movement of the operating button and fully comes into the lid, whereby the lid is permitted to pivotally move in the leftward direction about the pair of hinge pins engaged in the shaft holes in the box body on the left side.
At this time, the inwardly pressed operating button on the right side is placed in its locked state in which its return to the original biased position is blocked by the lock means thereof and therefore, it becomes unnecessary to continuedly press that operating button and the pivotal movement of the lid becomes highly convenient, and the operating button on the left side is prevented from being inwardly pressed by mistake, by the presence of the above-mentioned lock shaft, and therefore there is no fear that the entire lid comes off the box body side by a wrong operation.
When the lid pivotally moved in the leftward direction to thereby open the opening portion of the box body is to be closed, if the lid is pivotally moved in the rightward direction about the pair of hinge pins engaged in the shaft holes on the left side and the lid is brought down until it bears against the edge of the opening portion of the box body, the locked state of the operating button on the right side by the above-mentioned lock means is automatically released and therefore, the operating button on the right side is permitted to be returned to its original biased position by the pressure of the biasing spring thereof and at the same time, in operative association therewith, the pair of hinge pins on the right side submerged in the interior of the lid are again engaged in the corresponding shaft hole in the box body by the pressure of the biasing spring thereof, whereby the lid is closed.
Conversely, when the lid is to be pivotally moved in the rightward direction to open the opening portion of the box body, if the operating button on the left side is inwardly pressed against the pressure of the biasing spring thereof, the pair of hinge pins present on the left side come out of the corresponding shaft holes in the box body against the pressure of the biasing spring thereof in operative association with the pressing movement of that operating button and fully come into the interior of the lid, whereby the lid is permitted to pivotally move in the rightward direction about the pair of hinge pins engaged in the shaft holes in the box body on the right side.
When the lid pivotally moved in the rightward direction to thereby open the opening portion of the box body is to be closed, if the lid is pivotally moved in the leftward direction about the pair of hinge pins engaged in the shaft holes on the right side and is brought down until it bears against the edge of the opening portion of the box body, the locked state of the operating button on the left side by the above-mentioned lock means is automatically released and therefore, the operating button on the left side is permitted to be returned to its original biased position by the pressure of the biasing spring thereof and at the same time, in operative association therewith, the pair of hinge pins on the left side submerged in the interior of the lid are again engaged in the corresponding shaft holes in the box body by the pressure of the biasing spring thereof, whereby the lid is closed.
However, such an opening and closing apparatus according to the prior art makes the pivotally moving operation of the lid highly convenient by organically combining the lock means and the lock shaft, and effectively prevents the lid from coming off the box body by mistake, but in this case, in addition to the lock shaft, independent parts individually operating independently of one another must be used in the right and left operating buttons and the lock means therefor and therefore, of course, the number of parts increases by itself, and with the use of these independent parts, the accessory structure associated therewith has been liable to become vainly complicated.
Therefore, when grasping this in the entire apparatus, there has been the problem that the assembling work becomes cumbersome or the apparatus itself becomes costly.